The Supreme Court will appoint a former judge to inquire into the killings of four men, who the Telangana police said raped and murdered the 26-year-old veterinarian from Hyderabad. The court said that the judge doesn’t have to go to Hyderabad for inquiry, but can do the same from Delhi.
The apex court was hearing a petition today on the alleged encounter, which sought an independent investigation into the extra-judicial killings of the four accused in the vet’s rape and murder.
On December 6, the Telangana police had taken the four suspects in the case to the crime scene, where the accused allegedly raped and murdered a woman veterinarian. According to the police, the suspects snatched their weapons and tried to escape, when the cops had to fire in “self-defence”.
While many people praised the police, a few others raised suspicions over the legality of the killings. PILs were filed in the Supreme Court by advocates GS Mani and ML Sharma.
Reacting to the Supreme Court verdict today, father of the veterinarian said, “We will follow the judgment of the court. The accused have died, but we are living a difficult life now.”
Cyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar, who was leading the team that took the accused to the spot, was present in the court today. He had earlier submitted the encounter report to the National Human Rights Commission.
On December 9, the Telangana High Court had issued directions to preserve the bodies of the four accused, till December 13.